Apparatus for handling tailings.



Patented Ian. 28, I902. H. W. BLAISDELL.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING TAILINGS.

(Application filed Oct. 23, 19001 Renewed Nov. 19,1901.)

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

WITNESSES No. e92,|0s. Patented Jan. 2-8, 19021 H. w. BLAISDELL.APPARATUS FOR HANDLING TAILINGS.

(Application ,filei Oct. 23,1900. Renewed Nov: 19, 1901.) (No Model.) 2Sheets$heet 2 [VITNESSES /6 INVENTOR I v Attorney UNITED STATES HIRAM W.BLAISDELL, OF YUMA, ARIZONA TERRITORY.

P TENT OFFICE.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING TAILINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 692,108, dated January28, 1902. Application filed October 23, 1900. Renewed November 19, 1901.Serial No. 82.893. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HIRAM W. BLAISDELL, a resident of Yuma, in thecounty of Yuma and Territory of Arizona, have invented cer-,

in any one or all of an indefinite number of vats.

The aim of all improvements in the cyanid process at the present time istoward the working of the stamp-mill tailings direct as they areproduced by the mill, thereby avoiding, the expensive rehandl'ing fromatailings-pond to the leaching-vats. This is done by running thetailings directly to the leaching-vats from the mill, they beingdistributed over the surface of the vat. The surplus water overflowsuntil the vat is well filled with tailings, when the stream is divertedto another vat. This method causes the tailings to be deposited more orless in layers, which prevents thorough treatment and leaching by theoyanid solution, so the present plan is to give the tailings apreliminary treatment with the cyanid solution in the vat in which theyare deposited and then shovel the tailin gs through holes in the bottomof the vat into a vat di-- rectly below or into cars which convey thetailings to another vat for final treatment, after which the wastetailings are shoveled through holes in the bottom of the vat into cars,which convey it to waste-dumps. Som etimes hydraulic pressure is used tosluice the tailings from the vats to the waste-dump. To avoid thishandling of the tailings, which is extremely expensive and slow, Iprovide a traveling bridge adapted to be moved from vat to vat, and adistributor is mounted on the bridge'to distribute the tailings in anyone of the vats, as will now be described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a View illustrating myimprovements. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same; and Fig. 3 is a view invertical section through one vat, with the bridge 3 mounted above it.Fig. 4 is a detail view showing means for raising and lowering thedistributer 3 1 1 represent vats arranged in, line and provided on eachside with an elevated rail forming a track '2, on which is mounted atraveling bridge 3, which is adapted to move from one vat to another,and a distributer is carried by the bridge and adapted to be moved fromone vat to another, so as to discharge tailings or other material evenlythroughout the same.

2 2 represent vats in line with vats l 1, but in a lower plane; and saidvats 2 2 are provided on each side with a rail to form a track a for abridge 3 carrying rotary distribnters 3 adapted to be rotated within thevats to distribute the material evenly throughout them and to draw thematerial to the central discharge-ports in said vats, said distribnterscomprising a revoluble frame or cross-head 3, to which shafts 3 areconnected between their ends, and on each of said shafts a series ofdisks 3 is mounted. By adjusting the shafts 3 relatively to the path ofrotation of the frame or crosshead 3 the material in the vat will bedistributed or leveled or moved to the central outlet of the vat,according to the angle at which the shafts 3 are set, as explained morein detail in my pending application for patent, filed August4,1900,SerialNo.25,932. Anysuitablemeans may be connected with thebridge and employed for raising the distributor from one vat andlowering it into another.

One of the various means which might be employed for raising andlowering the dis- 9: tributer 3 and for rotating it is shown in Fig.

4. As here shown, the distributor 3 is provided with a shaft 20, whichpasses freely through the framework of the bridge 3 and has secured toit a sleeve 21, also adapted to be moved vertically, and said sleeve isprovided with a gear 22, which receives motion from a pinion 23 forrotating the distributor. The pinion 23 is secured to a shaft 30, towhich motion is imparted in any suitable manner. too A sprocket-wheel24: is mounted in the upper part of the bridge-frame, and over thiswheel a sprocket-chain 25 passes, said chain being also secured to theshaft 20. Motion may be imparted'to the wheel 2t through the medium [05of worm or other gearing from a sprocketwheel 26. A sprocket-chain 27passes over the wheel 26 and transmits motion thereto from asprocket-wheel 28, the latter being secured to a shaft 29, to whichmotion may be imparted in any suitable manner.

The bridge 3 is provided centrally with a friction-bearin g 5, supportedby inclined bars 6, and a vertical shaft 7 is mounted in said bearingand provided at its upper end with an enlargement or head 8, supportedon the friction-bearing 5, and said shaft is mounted near its lower endin a bearing 10, supported by the bridge directly below bearing 5 toprevent lateral movement of the shaft. To the lower end of shaft? adistributer is secured, which latter comprises a conical screenedreceptacle 10 with which radial pipes 11 of varying lengths communicate,and each pipe is provided at its outer end with a rearwardlyprojectingdischarge-spout, so that the discharge of material therefrom willrevolve the distributer, and hence the pipes will evenly distribute thetailings about the vat.

An inclined trough 12 is mounted on the bridge 3 and is adapted to'receive the tailings from a spout 13 and convey them to the screenedreceptacle 10, the spout 13 adapted to divert the tailings from alaunder 14, disposed beside the vats and communicating directly with thestamp-mill, and said launder is provided at each vat with a spout whichmay be operated to deflect the tailings when desired.

All of the vats are preferably-provided contrally in their bottoms withdischarge-ports 15, normally closed by gates 16, and an endless conveyer17 is located beneath vats 1 and 1 and adapted to convey the materialtherefrom, said material being discharged from the conveyer 17, by meansof a deflector 17, to the rotary distributers 3 carried by bridge 3, andsaid rotary distributers 3 will distribute the material throughout vats2 2', and a conveyer 18 is disposed beneath the dischargeports of vats 22 and adapted to convey the waste material to a dump.

Each vat 1 and 1 is preferably provided with a trough or receptacle 19surrounding it, so that the water from the tailings can overflow fromthe vat to permit the same to be entirely filled with the tailings.

The operation of my improvement is as follows: The tailings directlyfrom the stampmill are discharged into launder 14 and carried to anddeflected by the spout 13 onto trough 12 on bridge 3, which latter isdisposed above vat 1, wherein the preliminary treatment of the tailingsis to take place. The trough 12 will discharge the tailings into thedistributer to evenly distribute the same in the vat, and'when thelatter is full the bridge 3 will be moved to vat 1 and the same filledwith tailings. After the tailings in vat 1 are given their preliminarytreatment the gate 16 in the bottom thereof is opened and the tailingsdischarged through the central discharge-port onto conveyor 17 andcarried to bridge-distributers 3 as above described, and distributedbythem about the vat 2 and there given their final treatment, when thedistributers 3 can be used to discharge the material from vat 2 throughits discharge-port onto conveyer 18 and carried by the latter to thewaste-dump. The material after being given its preliminary treatment invat 1 can be carried to vat 2, as above explained, and discharged fromvat ,2 and carried to the dump in the same manner as above described inconnection with vat 2.

Various slight changes might be resorted to inthe general form andarrangement of the several parts described without departing from thespirit and scope of my invention, and hence I do not wish to limitmyself to the precise details set forth, but consider myself at libertyto make such slight changes-and alterations as fairly fall within thespirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an apparatus for treating tailings, the combination with a frameof a bridge movable thereon and a revoluble distributer mounted on saidbridge and adapt-ed to be carried thereby fromone vat'to another.

:2. In an apparatus for treating tailings, the combination with a seriesof vats and a track adjacent to said vats, of a traveling bridge mountedon said track, a revoluble distributer carried by said bridge adapted todischarge material in any of said vats and means for supplying materialto said distributer.

3. In an apparatus for treating tailings, the combination of two seriesof vats disposed in different planes, of a travelingbridge mounted tomove above the lower series of vats and means on said bridge fordistributing the material supplied to it from the upper vats, evenlythroughout the lower vats.

4. In an apparatusfor treating tailings, the combination with two seriesor sets of vats disposed in different planes, of traveling bridgeslocated above each set or series of vats, a distributer for railingscarried by the upper bridge, a combined distributor and excavator fortailings carried by the lower bridge and means for carrying materialfrom the upper series of vats to the lower.

5. In an apparatus for treating tailings, the combination with two setsor series of vats disposed in different planes, of traveling bridgeslocated above each set or series of vats, means for distributing thematerial in the vats carried by each bridge, a conveyor adapted to carrythe material from one series of vats to the other and a conveyer forconveying the material from the last-mentioned series of vats.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

HIRAM W. BLAISDELL.

Witnesses:

SELIM M. FRANKLIN, I-IoR'rENsE DALTON.

